Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths are the Buddha's core diagnosis of the human condition, delivered at Sarnath: 1) Dukkha — life involves unsatisfactoriness and suffering; 2) Samudaya — suffering arises from craving and clinging; 3) Nirodha — suffering can cease when craving ceases; 4) Magga — the Eightfold Path leads to that cessation. This is often compared to a doctor's method: identify the illness, find its cause, know that cure is possible, prescribe the treatment.